Gag Me with a Corncob
by StarrNight
Summary: Karen violently did not want to go to Mineral Town at the age of 14. But her parents gave her a promise. If she doesn't like the town after four seasons, they'll move back to the city. But will she really want to leave the island...and Rick? MTM book 3
1. Goodbye, Big Macs

_Before we start, I would like to make it painfully obvious that I do not own Harvest Moon. I have, in fact, all but designed a HM game of my own…but probably won't send it in to Natsume for fear of them laughing at me. Anyway, this story is Book Three in the MTM series. Cameo appearances by Cliff, Jack from AWL, Lumina, Celia and possible others should keep you entertained, when Karen's antics are not! Please review. I adore--absolutely thrive on reviews. Make me happy and leave a note for me! Thanks!_

_--Starry_

Gag Me with a Corncob

CHAPTER ONE: Goodbye, Big Macs

My parents have the worst ideas in the history of the world. They were the ones who came up with the genius plan to move to Mineral Town. I had absolutely nothing to do with it. In fact, I didn't even know about it until three days before we left! You would think that they would have the sense to tell their only daughter that they had decided to drag her away from everything she knew and loved. But no, that must have 'slipped' their minds.

Fourteen is an age that is not friendly to change. Fourteen is an age where you are happy, energetic, not worried about pimples or weight and still flexible enough to be captain of your school's cheerleading team. At least, that's what my fourteen was like. I don't know about you. My year was going perfectly. That might be why I threw a fit the first day my Dad introduced he and Mom's little scheme.

"We're WHAT?" I yelled, nearly dropping my purple and white pompons.

"I've been offered a new job in this little town called Mineral Town! Won't it be cool for me to own my very own store?" He asked, nervous that I wasn't taking the news well—which I wasn't.

"No, that's not 'cool'. What's wrong with ShoppingKart Groceries?"

"Nothing's wrong with ShoppingKart, it's just that owning my own store would be an experience. Plus the country air will be good for you." He tried to explain. I stopped him.

"I'm not going. I'll move in with Melissa."

"Oh, no you will not, young lady!" My Mom had entered the conversation. I knew I was doomed now, if she was in on it. Even if Dad was on my side, Mom would put a stop to that quickly. No one on earth could argue like she could, including Dad. I burst into tears and ran up the stairs, throwing my pompons on the floor and slamming my bedroom door as hard as I could. After sniffling miserably for half an hour, I called my best friend Melissa. She screamed into the phone when I told her.

"You're WHAT?" She sounded like she was eating pretzels. "How could your parents do this to you?" I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe it's just one of their little obsessions. Maybe it'll pass in three days." Melissa coughed into the phone.

"I sure hope so. What would I do without you, Karen? What'll the squad do? We need you and your flexibility, girl! Cry, beg, whine, throw a tantrum, do something! Get your parents to stay!"

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It was good advice…but it didn't work. Dad looked guilty whenever I looked at him, but Mom never wavered. She did sympathize with the situation, but apparently not enough to change her mind and let me keep my life. No, three days later I was crying on my cheerleading squad's shoulders, promising to call them daily. They all had chipped in five bucks and had purchased for me a white shirt and a purple vest.

"We got them in the school colors…so you can remember us always. Wear them and think of the memories." The coach was holding back her tears, which was something you didn't see everyday. Ms. Cavemn was notorious for her loveless existence. I turned away quickly and jogged over to where my parents were standing. After shooting them a look of misery, I picked up my traveling suitcase and started to walk towards the dock where our ferry waited.

The boat that took us to Mineral Town was junky. The seats were sticky, the crewmen were surly and every time I put my hands on the railings I got about three splinters in them. I occupied myself by peeling the green paint off of the deck with my foot and watching the other passengers.

There was a large man with a pink shirt sleeping in one of the rows, there was a sweet-looking couple holding hands behind him, there was a girl absentmindedly writing something in a notebook and there was a boy about my age, leaning on the railings. I wondered if he was getting splinters in his arms. I moseyed over to him and just stood there, lips pursed.

"Hey." I finally spoke up. He looked at me, surprised. His hair was dark brown and long, falling into his eyes. His clothes looked well worn.

"Hey." He returned, his ears red. I threw a loose piece of wood into the rolling waves.

"Where are you headed?" I asked him.

"…" He didn't respond right away. "Hibiscus Port. You?" I scowled at the water.

"Some stupid place called Mineral Town."

"You don't sound happy about it." He tilted his head.

"I'm not. I just got dragged away from all my friends, not to mention the Big Macs that I love. I mean, what is there to eat on an island? Parrot meat? No, thank you. My parents didn't even tell me that we were moving until three days ago. I am not a happy camper." The boy opened his eyes wider.

"My parents travel a lot. Just my parents, my little sister and I." He gestured to the girl sitting writing in the book. She noticed his gesture, stood up and ran over to us. She had medium length auburn hair, blue jeans, a white shirt and a yellow necktie. The boy pushed her towards me. "This is Lu…and your name is…?" I smiled slightly.

"Karen. The name's Karen."

"Okay. Karen, Lu. Lu, Karen." Lu stepped on his toe and he squeaked loudly.

"My name is not Lu, _Bunny_." She turned and marched off, ignoring his protests. I turned to him and smirked.

"Your name is _Bunny_?" He frowned and glared at his sister.

"No. It's actually Clifford. Err…Lu just calls me that. Ignore her." He became quiet again. This lasted for another half hour, until the mainland had come into sight. When I saw it, I sighed gustily. He noticed and looked closely at the approaching beach. "Cheer up. It doesn't look that bad. Now you should have seen Cholla Plateau! That was a dumpy looking place!" The corners of my mouth turned up ever so slightly.

"It looks like I'd better go collect my bags." He nodded. I continued. "If you ever come this way again, look me up. I'll be glad to talk to you. Lu, too." He nodded again.

"Mineral Town. I'll be sure to remember that." I turned and walked to my parents, who were cooing like morons over the 'quaint' beach. My bags were in my hands when I waved a final goodbye to Clifford and stepped out onto the sand.

A whole crowd of people was gathered to watch us come into the town. There was a tubby short man dressed in red, a buff guy who looked to be in his twenties, a woman with lots of pink hair standing beside a blonde man, a pretty woman with long black braids and many others. They looked friendly, at least. That was something. There were also kids, girls and a few boys who looked around 12-14. Maybe I would have someone to talk to, after all. One of the girls must have been the daughter of the pink-tressed lady from before; her head was also sprouting a crop of bubblegum colored waves.

The sun was strong when I started walking through the crowd, followed by my parents. Summer was just ending and autumn was just beginning. The kids' eyes followed me as I walked, giving me a feeling of uncomfortable-ness. Didn't these people have any manners? Didn't they know that it was rude to stare? I furrowed my brow and continued onwards. The chubby red-clad man was leading us up the streets, towards the top of the town. He finally stopped in front of a building. The windows had paper stuffed in them, keeping light out. The man stopped and introduced himself as Thomas. He also handed my Dad the key to the store, tipped his hat and stood back as my father began to unlock the door.

The room was dark when the door opened, but when Dad flipped the light on… I groaned.

"What a crappy little tomb! I feel like I'm going to smother in here!"


	2. The Island Hicks

_Hee hee hee! Chapter two, baby! Oh, I have some great plans for this story. You just wait. Be sure to review, please!_

_--Starry_

**CHAPTER TWO: The Island Hicks**

No, I was exaggerating a little bit for effect, there. It actually wasn't that bad. It was bigger than the apartment we lived in when we were happily in the city. The room was square and large, like a huge den. I had hoped that by saying that I hated it, my Mom might decide that the whole trip wasn't worth it and she would turn back. That didn't happen. She shushed me and stepped into the store, over a pile of newspapers.

"Oh, It's lovely! Don't you just feel at home, Jeff, dear?" Dad also stepped into the store and grinned.

"It's just what I wanted. Thank you, Thomas." The short man from before smiled and backed away. I found out a few days later that he was actually the mayor. I watched him go and began to start moving our bags inside, but Mom stopped me.

"No, baby. We'll move in. Why don't you go meet some of the kids? You need friends. We aren't going back, so you might as well make the best of it." I saw the sense in this, but still didn't appreciate the idea. I just couldn't see how a bunch of island brats could possibly measure up to the standards of my old squad. Dad gave me a small push, so I slowly began to walk down the street.

So. There I was, all alone in a town that I neither knew nor cared anything about. I had been instructed to go begin making nice with all of the island folk. As I looked around, I wondered if these people were any different than my old friends. The town's denizens were bound to be, for lack of a better word, corn-poney—this being an island and all. I certainly didn't expect them to be anywhere close to the city's standards.

I was right. The Mineral Townies _were_ different in many ways. They were more friendly for one. I had decided to start my exploration on the street where the Supermarket was located. To my far right was a two-part building with a sign that said "Mary's Reading Tower" in perfect script. This, I decided, was not the day to be visiting a reading tower. Maybe later. Maybe never. So I started on another two-sided building to my right.

When I stared at the door, I noticed that there was no doorbell or even a knocker. In fact, the door didn't have a deadbolt either, just a knob with a keyhole. That seemed strange to me; everyone in the city had at least one deadbolt on every door. I knocked on the lockless door, feeling foolish. The girl who answered looked to be about sixteen years old. She had short, boyish brown hair and wore a blue dress with a white apron over it. She smiled when she recognized me.

"You must be that girl from the new family. Welcome! My name is Eleanor, but everyone calls me Elli." She sang cheerfully. "What's your name?" I gave answer and she invited me in. Now you see? Absolutely no one in the city would give you the time of day if you just went up and introduced yourself. They probably wouldn't even answer the doorbell. But anyways, inside the house was a woman dressed similarly to Elli. She had short blonde hair and was in the midst of coaxing a dog out from under a table. When the shaggy canine refused to budge, the woman sighed, stood up and turned around to face us. Her face was tired but kindly. After dusting her hands off on her gray apron, she extended one of them to me.

"Welcome, welcome! I see you've already met Elli…good…my name is Eleanor also, but you may call me Ella. The name runs in the family." She explained. "As soon as I can persuade old Chester here to crawl out so I can give him a shot, I'll step on out and meet your folks. The shot is for arthritis…Jenny and Marc have been Chester's vets since he was a wee puppy—even though they're really doctors." With that, she returned to her hands and knees, calling the dogs name and producing a biscuit from a dress pocket. Elli showed me to the door with an invitation to visit anytime.

My next stop was the Hospital. It was located right after my new house on the same top street. This door was also lacking a deadbolt or a doorbell. Figuring that I didn't need to knock (this being a public place and all) I pulled the door open and stepped into a room filled with the smell of disinfectants. A young man with messy black hair was earnestly poring over a thick book. When he finally noticed me, he didn't say anything. Instead he returned to his textbook. From a gap in some curtains separating the lobby from an office, I could see two other figures. They were both slim, dressed in doctor's coats and raven-haired, leading me to believe that they were possible the reading boy's parents. I remembered that Elli's mom had said that Jenny and Marc were doctors…so maybe that was the couple's names. At any rate, they were deeply involved in examining a poster of _Common Lyxamphampnia Rashes. _I decided that now was not the time to bother them.

So I bothered their son instead. "Hey." I said to him, leaning on the counter. He lowered his book and pursed his lips. I felt his eyes briefly examine me and I wondered if he was checking for a _Lyxamphampnia Rash. _

"Hi." He returned, possible satisfied that I was not carrying some exotic disease.

"My name's Karen. Are they your parents?" I asked, motioning towards the curtains.

He looked displeased. "Unfortunately they are. My name is Tim." It didn't take a trained eye to find the obvious resent that was pouring out of his face. "You're the new girl, right? How old are you?" He asked curiously.

"Fourteen. You?"

"Seventeen. I thought you looked about that age. I would have guessed thirteen, though." He caught my questioning look and showed me the cover of his book. _Child Development _by _Jeremy Sice _was the name. Tim continued. "I'm studying to be a doctor. Jeremy Sice is a great author. You should read some of his medical books, especially the one on nail funguses." He then began reading again while I crept away, thinking that he was the strangest seventeen year old I'd ever met. I did not look thirteen!

The last building on that street was a church, which I avoided. Churches creeped me out. I turned the corner and headed to the next level of the town. There were only two structures on this level, the first being an Inn. After admiring the detailed carvings on it's wooden doors, I pushed them open and peered inside.

The inside was rustic and inviting. Nearly everything was made of wood; floor, walls, ceiling, tables and chairs. A man with bright orange hair was counting receipts. I called out to him, he looked up and waved.

"Hello! Welcome to the Inn! You're new here, aren't you?" Yes, I was new here. Why did they have to keep reiterating that fact? I nodded at the question anyway. He grinned. "You should meet my daughter. Here name is Ann and she's ….um…twelve….or thirteen maybe. I'm not entirely sure." He turned and bellowed up a flight of stairs. Almost instantly a girl appeared. If I thought her father's hair was red, it was nothing compared to this girl's flaming braid. She skipped down the stairs two at a time, sounding like a rhino.

"Hi!!" She yelled, running over and shaking my hand. "I'm Ann. I heard that your name is Karen. Pleasure to meet you! How do you like the town so far?" Ann was the only girl I had seen so far that didn't have a cottage dress of. She had a yellow tank, khakis shorts and muddy tennis shoes.

"Hello, Ann. Ummm…I'm not sure about the town yet. The only kids I've met are Elli and Tim. They were pretty old." I said.

"It'll get better. Trust me. You haven't met Gray, Mary, Rick or Pop yet. Go on, get going!" She began ushering me out the door. As I left, she hollered after me. "Ya'll come back now!"

The last building on that level was labeled Aja Winery. Oh, boy! A winery! I had never actually tasted wine before, but I loved grape juice and that was basically what wine was made of, right? I decided not to enter that particular place today, so I turned the last corner to the final level of the town. As I came down the road, an entrance to "Mossy Farm" was straight ahead. A blank white sign was nailed to a tree near the front gate. The gate was latched, deterring me from investigating whatever lay beyond, which appeared to be a large field complete with cornstalks and three fat cows.

My first visit to the Blacksmith's was interesting. A man in his…late fifties or so was lighting a fire in an enormous fireplace. A surly, red-headed boy was standing beside him, dressed in long khaki slacks and a blue t-shirt. He noticed me immediately and pulled the back of the older man's shirt. The man nodded in my direction and pushed the boy towards me.

"Hi there." The redhead said gruffly, if a boy can sound gruff. His baby blue eyes were cute but distant.

"Hey. As you can probably tell, I'm new." I told him quickly before he could observe that fact. "I was told to meet you. Are you Gray or Rick?" I asked, remembering the list of names told to me by the excitable Inn-girl, Ann.

"Gray. Rick and Popuri live across from us at the Poultry Farm." Gray wasn't one to mince words. When he spoke, he spoke pointedly and directly. I extended a hand, which he stared at. Finally, he shook it quickly and without warmth. "Bye." He said as I left. That was the coldest greeting to be found on this island, but even it held a certain charm in the abruptness. The boy was handsome, anyway.

I had an even stranger welcoming to the Poultry Farm. The grounds were well kept, there was a small garden with a stone bench off to one side, there was a watermill near the river and the walkway was dirt and gravel. I noticed a large white stone laying on the ground when I first entered the yard. It was smooth and oval, resting in my hand nicely. (Now keep in mind that I had never seen an egg that wasn't either cooked or in a foam carton in the refrigerated section of the ShoppingKart Supermarket. I thought it was a pretty white stone.) The small river beyond the mill inspired the idea to try and throw the stone into the water. My throwing arm isn't bad; I probably would have made it if the egg wasn't intercepted. I brought the egg back and was ready to let it fly when a blonde boy walked out of the house and into the path of my 'stone'. I screeched and tried to stop the release, but my arm was already in motion. The boy turned to look at me and---SPLAT--- he was greeted with an egg to the forehead; yolk dripping from his bangs. Drat.

I hate awkward introductions.

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R&R, por favor!


	3. Country Lesson 1: Chickens are Forgiving

_Aye, indeed, chapter three is now up. Enjoy and learn all about the previous owner of Claire's farm. Shall Rick forgive Karen? Is it a rocky start to the friendship? You'll get to meet Aja and Joanna in the next chapter. Possible one-sided RickxJoanna? Maybe so! Read! Review! Now!_

_--Starry_

CHAPTER THREE: Country Lesson One: Chickens are Forgiving

The boy didn't say anything at first. He just stood there incredulously, blinking as the egg dripped on his face. I was astounded when the egg bust; I had thought that it was a rock. Now I wondered what on earth an egg would be doing on the ground? Moments passed and the boy still stood there. I wondered if he'd fainted while standing up. His face looked so funny that I started to laugh in spite of his predicament. He just gave me this _look _while I was cracking up. Then he turned and ran into the house.

Great. I had probably upset the delicate inner balance of the kid. I would never live this down. It was just my luck to bean a villager with an egg on the first day of being here. _Should I follow him? _I glared at the door through which he had disappeared, stomped over to it and flung it open. Inside was a young-looking woman and a girl--both with bright, shockingly pink hair. They were staring at me, mouths open and eyebrows raised. Well of course they were…after all…a complete stranger had just barged into their home without knocking or anything like that. I smiled a big cheesy smile, waved and pointed up the stairs.

"I'll be right back." They nodded mechanically and watched me thump up the staircase.

When I reached the top, water could be heard running in a room to the right. I crept up and pressed my ear to the door. The boy didn't seem to be using the bathroom, so I opened the door on him. (after all, I had such great practice with that already) He was washing his hair and face in the sink. As the door opened, he turned, saw me and groaned.

"You sure don't mind busting into other people's houses, do you?" He commented disapprovingly.

"There's no point in being afraid." I said sheepishly. "I came to apologize for hitting your head with that egg; I thought it was a rock, I swear!"

He looked at me like I was insane. "You didn't know that it was an egg?" He asked, hands hovering in midair.

"No, I don't expect to find one in the middle of your yard, anyway." I laughed a bit at myself.

"Well, this is a Poultry Farm…eggs usually come around chickens. Why would you have thrown a stone at me even if it wasn't an egg?"

"I was aiming for the stream."

"Wow! That's a pretty far shot. Could you have made it?"

"Probably."

"I bet you couldn't have."

"You're on."

We ran down the stairs together and came face-to-face with his mother and sister. The boy stopped.

"Oh! Ummm…this is my Mom, Lillia and my sister, Popuri. I'm Rick. Who are you?" He asked, indicating the various family members as he talked. They were now beaming at me.

"My name is Karen. My parents, Jeff and Sasha, now run the Supermarket. It's nice to meet you." Popuri squealed with excitement as I spoke.

"Oh, really? A Supermarket? I wanna see! Come on, Mom, let's go see." Her mother nodded.

"We'll go right away, just as soon as I grab some eggs to take to them." She bustled off into a back room, followed by her daughter. Rick led the way out of the front door and to the place where she had grabbed the egg.

"Now. Here's a good-sized rock. Fire away!" He stepped back hastily as I wound up to chuck the rock. Away it flew…away and right into the stream with a _sploosh! _Rick's eyes brightened. "Oh, my gosh, you actually did it! Let me try." We scrounged around for another stone. He seized it, reared back and threw it as hard as he could. It flew through the air, missing the stream by many feet. I sniggered behind his back.

"That worked really well, Rick."

His ears reddened a bit. "Thank you. I thought so myself." He didn't seem keen on trying again. "So, have you met the others, yet?" He asked.

"I've met Elli, Tim, Ann and Gray. Who's left?"

"Well, you need to meet Mary, she's really smart and stays in her reading tower most of the time. Joanna's very nice--she's pretty, too. Aja is the same age as Joanna, sixteen. They look a lot alike, it's scary, really. But that's about it. Oh, you should meet Old Farmer Aberle too. He's a curmudgeon, but gets nicer once you know him. I'll introduce you if you'd like." Rick offered.

I smirked. "It sounds like _somebody _has a bit of a crush on Joanna." He flushed and I continued. "I'd like to meet this curmudgeon of yours. Let's go." He nodded and walked out of the Farm. I followed him until we reached the same gate with the black piece of paper tacked to a tree beside of it. Rick knocked on it, as if he knocked on scary black metal entrances to farms everyday. After a few minutes of waiting, a man with graying hair walked up to the gate and unlocked it.

"'ello Rick. Who's tha' you got there with ya? A girl? Is tha' your new girlfriend? And from the city by the looks o' it. Raisin' your expectations, eh? She looks high maintenance." He glared at me with eyes that were too brown to be allowed. I glared back at him.

"My name is Karen and I am most certainly not Rick's girlfriend. So you're Farmer Aberle, are you? Or are you his security gate keeper? I didn't know that farmers would be so rude." I expected him to shut the gate in our faces and walk away, but he laughed a roaring, resounding laugh.

"Goo' girl! I love spunk. Welcome ta Mossy Farm, Karen. Come on in, both o' ya, I'll make ya a cup of 'ot chocolate." We followed him past a large field filled with grass and into a small wooden house. The inside of his hovel was everything you'd expect to find in a bachelor farmer's house. There was even a large furry moose head on the wall and antlers everywhere! It was like a interior designer's worst nightmare! It would be funny if a girl moved into that house someday, though Farmer Aberle would probably take his tacky décor with him if he moved out.

I wasn't sure that I trusted this guy, yet. I made a mental note to kick him in the crotch and scream bloody murder if he tried anything. But nothing happened--and the cocoa was very tasty. The older man sat with us and drank spring water out of a large pewter mug. After Rick and I finished our drinks, he showed me his barn and his fifteen stinky cows. He also showed me his coop full of chickens. Rick was particularly interested in the chicken coop; he inspected the feed bins, the water trough, the incubator and the chickens themselves until he was satisfied. Nonchalantly he remarked about how chickens, in his opinion, were much better than cows. Farmer Aberle sighed with the air of having gone over this discussion many, many times before.

"If I've tol' ya once, I've tol' ya a 'undred times that cows are ten times be'er than chickens." The man growled.

"But cows are so temperamental! Chickens forgive easily." My new friend argued. _How can a chicken forgive anything, easily or otherwise?_ I wondered to myself.

"No, no, boy. Every time there's a storm aroun' here, the accursed poultry take 'alf a season to star' givin' quality eggs again. My cows give milk so easy-like."

"Then you're obviously mistreating your chickens."

Farmer Aberle scowled. "Mistreatin' 'em? Never! They're just plain stubborn little varmints! Plus, milk sells fer more than eggs."

Rick knew that the farmer had scored. "Yeah…well you still have to brush cows everyday. Who wants to brush a smelly cow?" I secretly agreed.

"Maybe I do. Maybe brushin' cows is comfortin'." I stepped away from the arguing pair. They didn't seem to notice much; Rick was pointing at the incubator and Farmer Aberle was rolling his eyes. I, a city girl, didn't know enough about either cows or chickens to take a side. Arguing over it was for hick islanders.

Dusk was setting as I found my way back to the Supermarket. My parents had turned on some lights and hung some navy plaid curtains in the windows. The front room, bare except for cabinets along the walls, didn't look so gloomy anymore. I was even more pleasantly surprised when I entered the back room that was to serve as out kitchen, living room and my parent's bedroom. It smelled like cooking lasagna and looked so homey that even I had to smile. Mom and Dad had worked hard and had spread a rug on the floor, brought in their mattress and bedding, arranged the cookware and had set the floor (the table hadn't been brought in yet) for dinner. I gave my Mom, who was standing nearby, a hug.

"Not bad for a day's work." I complimented her. Dinner turned out to be baked ziti, which was still acceptable to me. After helping wash the dishes in the big kitchen sink, I ran up a flight of stairs that were beside the door leading out into the main store. Tears came to my eyes when I stepped into my new room. My parents had outdone themselves and had arranged the room to be a near replica of my old city room…except bigger. I didn't mind that in the least.

I changed into my silky pajamas, snuggled into my fuchsia bed sheets and remembered what my parents had said that morning before we left the city.

"We know you don't want to leave, kiddo. Try to make the best of it, please?" Dad had said, frowning sympathetically.

"But we have a deal for you," Mom joined in. "Give us six months in Mineral Town. Six months and if you still don't like it, we'll move back to the city, alright?" Needless to say, I agreed. Now all I had to do was survive six months on this strange new island. I could do that…right?

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Reviews are love…_review or die! _


	4. Chasing Skirts

_Gee…you know I would love to talk to my reviewers…if had many! -adopts angry face- Come on people! Review! I would like to give a hug to Moonlit Dreaming and 1angelette for that reason._

_Rant over, let's continue with our story. Enjoy!_

_--Starry_

CHAPTER FOUR: Chasing Skirts

By some strange direction of fate, the family at the Poultry Farm adopted me into their hearts from the moment I walked uninvited into their house. Rick began a morning ritual of the two of us sitting outside the Supermarket on a bench, just talking about this or that and laughing at each other. He would be around during most of the day, to help sort the new products my family ordered to stock the shelves of our store. The store hadn't opened yet; we were waiting for a shipment of corn seeds to arrive before the Grand Opening. My mother had made friends with the local women, Manna and Anna (How disgustingly perfect) and began to adopt some of the accents, slang and traditions of our surroundings. I was appalled one morning when she walked outside to where Rick and I were sitting, while wearing a new navy-blue frock over a white chemise with puffed sleeves. She had even arranged her shiny honey hair in a braided bun and was grinning from ear to ear.

"How do you like my new village-dress, Karen? Rick?" She asked breathlessly. Rick nodded brightly and smiled back.

"It's very pretty, Mrs. Courrege. Did you make it yourself?" He queried.

She twirled to show off the embroidered skirt. "Yes, I did."

I scrunched up my nose. "You're going native, Mom. I hope that you don't expect me to wear one…right?" I asked her cautiously.

"Not all of the time," She answered. "Only to school."

School in Mineral Town was strange. I asked Popuri when the kids around her went to school. She told me that a teacher came to the island every Summer and Winter, but left to teach in Cape Try every Spring and Autumn. She also told me that boys were required to wear ties and that girls were required to wear skirts or dresses. What kind of teacher is that? Uniforms were ridiculed back in the city. I made up my mind right then and there that I was not going to wear a dress to school. Too bad for the teacher, whoever he was.

As soon as my Mom had gone back inside the house following her little fashion show, Rick turned to me. "Oh, that reminds me to show you Mary's Reading Tower and introduce you to Aja…and Joanna. How about it?" He asked.

"Fine, fine…but I don't really have to _read _in the Reading Tower, right?"

"No reading on command. But let's go visit Joanna first." I grinned impishly at the bare tinge on his pale cheeks.

There was no doubt about it; Joanna was beautiful. She was sixteen and a half with two glossy dark brown braids, ivory complexion, green eyes and a comfortable figure. Rick instantly blushed deeper as soon as she looked our way. Her dress was woolen and obviously hand-made, from the red calico skirt to the knitted matching red shawl. She turned and smiled gracefully. "Hello, Rick. Who's this? A girlfriend?"

Rick acted more offended than was necessary. "No! Sh-she's _not _my girlfriend. She's just a friend. Her name is Karen and she moved here from the city. Did you know that they have three movie theaters in her home town? That's a lot of theaters! She said that she and her friends used to go see movies every weekend. When my parents and I went to the city that one time there was only one and the popcorn tasted like it had been sa--ow!" I had kicked him to end the embarrassing babbling that Joanna's pretty features had induced. Barley, the girl's older father walked over to me and shook my hand firmly. His face was all wrinkly, but he looked like a man that would give great advice about life.

"Welcome to this here Mineral Town! We're all mighty glad to have you around. Your new Supermarket is gonna be a blessin' after all the years of ordering through the mail and Zack delivering it. I'm so excited about the Grand Opening. Would it be all right if I brought sauerkraut?" I had no idea what sauerkraut was, so I nodded, thanked him and looked over to where Rick had begun chattering to Barley's daughter again. Her face showed minute relief as I approached the pair.

"So, Karen, have you decided on your school dresses yet? Autumn's almost over; Winter begins in a little bit less than a week. I made a new plaid indigo chemise to go under last year's orange jumper. Do you think that a mellow butternut would look alright on me?" She asked. I seriously doubted that any color would look bad on her. She laughed musically when I told her so. "You're a downright sweetie. I suggest lemon and grass green for you. Try it."

It took some ding, but Rick was finally persuaded out of the Ranch house. He didn't talk until we were out of the yard and I made a smart remark about how love struck he looked. HE pushed my playfully and rolled his eyes as if denying the obvious fact. The Winery was our next stop. A large man was at work among the numerous grapevines. He didn't pay any attention to us as we entered the main house, inside which a plump girl was crocheting a sock. She, like the man and a woman whom I assumed to be her mother, had wavy black hair. The woman was grating cinnamon sticks at the sink, but dropped them when her daughter called out to us.

"Hey, it's Rick! Whatcha doing with that female, hmm? I thought that you were stuck on Joanna! What's your name, girl? I'm Aja. I was either named after the winery, or the winery was named after me," She stood up, grinning jauntily. If Joanna was all grace, Aha seemed to be all warmth. She wore a pink dress with bright green stripes crisscrossing the fabric and making her look like a friendly beetle. Her mother was buxom and had medium length frizzy hair. Her mouth was constantly turned up in a knowing smile. In response to the girl's observation concerning Rick's associations with the female gender, he mumbled something under his breath and hurriedly stuck his hands in his pockets. Aja was nonplussed and amused as well. Most of my friend's muttering had been intelligible, but she caught my name. "Karen? I like that name. Have you picked out your classroom dresses yet? I haven't even begun to decide on mine. You'd look real sharp in…some shade of green and a nice happy yellow. But that's just me. Joanna would probably disagree! She's always been the bright one with the eye for colors! Don't try to ask me about no fancy things or how to dress your hair, I don't know anything about that. But I can give you some straight up solid advice on how to crochet a proper turn on a stocking heel, or how to make your wine taste sweet."

I liked the girl from then forward, but she did have a habit of talking on and on. Finally she told Rick and I to 'skedaddle on out of here' so she could finish her sock. I obliged, pulling a sullen blonde boy along with me. He sulked all the was to the Reading Tower, trying my patience and making me exercise self control not to trip him.

A blue baseball cap emblazoned with the team 'UMA' on it was hanging on a wooden coat hook inside the Reading Tower. It must have been for the Salt Plateau Umas's team. I was amazed at how many shelves filled with books were lining the walls. Everything was straight and orderly, the plushy chairs were neatly lined up beside of one another and the air felt very…sacred. Rick pointed to a flight of stairs that I ran up immediately. Two kids were staring at me when I reached the top; a girl with short black ringlets and the blacksmith guy, Gray. Rick broke an uncomfortable silence. "That's Mary with the curls and you've already met Gray. Uh…this is Karen and she's not my girlfriend." He said hastily.

Mary was inspecting me like I was a fuzzy bug in a box. Her eyes were bright, intelligent and cold. "Good heavens above, Rick," she said, looking at my tanktop. "Where did you find her? Was Goddess's Secret having a sale? She's going to freeze next week."

"She moved here from the city." My buddy draped an arm over my shoulders.

"Well you two certainly look cozy. I thought that you liked Joanna."

I scowled at the little priss. "I believe that you and Gray are the ones all alone in an attic together. Talk about coziness," I turned to the redhead boy. "Where did you find her? Was Geeks 'R' Us having a sale, Gray?" He blushed and dropped his head.

"At least I'm properly clothed. I won't even bother to ask about your schooldresses. Do you even know what school is? I might be speaking to fast for you." She fired back, stumping me with a sudden lack of witty comebacks. I descended the stairs, ignoring the smug, victorious look on the face of my first Mineral Town nemesis.

I didn't bother telling Rick goodbye as I stalked off towards the Supermarket. What was this town's deal with skirts? Popuri even jumped in on the act the next day, showing me every frock and jumper she owned. When I explained that I was going skirtless, her little twelve-year old mouth dropped open.

"I've never heard of that…but Mr. Paine is awfully nice. He'll probably let you." She said seriously, staring at me with those big red eyes of hers. I liked the kid alright, most of the time. She was babyish when teased, but worked hard to be 'cool like me'. She wasn't usually allowed along with Rick and I when we went for a hike or to the beach. Sometimes I'd let her tag along, but not often. It was too much bother to listen to her theories about the Harvest Goddess constantly.

Rick grudgingly brought out a stack of schoolbooks from inside his closet on the last day of Autumn. He expressed regret about not having any extras for me, to which I responded with a snort of derision. "I'm simply shattered that I'll have to spend the last day of freedom hanging outside as opposed to scanning old textbooks." I said sarcastically, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the door. He grinned and did not oppose the effort.

Sadly, the day was over all too quickly and I found myself glaring at my mirror, brush in hand, readying myself for this new school. Rick and Popuri were waiting outside in the snow that had suddenly appeared outside. The seasons were seriously messed up in this town! It had been sixty degrees yesterday and now it was snowing! Great. Now what would I wear? I couldn't wear my tanktop…I searched through my closet and found a sweater that was tight across the chest…but was the only one I had. It would have to do. I pulled it on and ran downstairs to where my mother was pricing loaves of bread "I guess I'll see you later. Goodbye." She raised an eyebrow at my sweater, but made not comment and kissed my head.

Rick and Popuri were squabbling over a pencil case when I joined them. They continued to bicker until we reached the Church. A thin blonde man wearing a brown suit was standing by the door holding a briefcase. He greeted Rick and Popuri enthusiastically. "Ah! The Simons siblings! How excellent to view your faces again," They grinned and walked inside. He turned to me and put a hand out to stop me. "My newest basket of knowledge. Welcome, Miss Karen! Didn't one of the girls tell you about our strict dress code?" He asked, smiling amiably. The kids inside the Church were watching us and I was fully prepared to deny any foreknowledge until Mary raised her hand.

She looked like the paragon of perfection in her crisp laurel jumper and starched white collar. "I told her about it. She knew, but didn't want to wear a skirt."

Mr. Paine looked at her. "Thank you, Miss Faune," He turned back to me. "Well then, you may stay out here until you produce the proper attire. You may wear a skirt or you may wear nothing. I'm sorry, but I can't have disobedient students! Come inside when you're ready." He walked inside the church, leaving the doors open so the kids could ogle at me. I just stood outside, cheeks burning. When he began assigning seats, I started seriously considering my position. I didn't have a skirt! Of course, if I had asked my mother to make one, I'm sure she would have…but I didn't.

It was decided. I would have to take the "nothing" option.

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_I wouldn't doubt Karen when she says that she'll walk in with nothing on…what do you think? Remember…reviews are love!_


	5. Birthday Bottle

_Guys…I just wanted to apologize for being a witch about reviews. I know I've been irritating…forgive me? This chapter contains many ship-hints that should be very easy to pick up on. I would have liked to attend Mary's party myself. I received some interesting comments from this chapter and would like to address them. I love each and every one of you who reviewed. Like red on a rose gets credit for the first part of this chapter._

_Moonlit Dreaming: Thank you so much. You've been so great to read all of my stories…you deserve a hug. -hug-_

_Lyoko Genex: Maybe. I do love insanity._

_1angelette: What? Bash Mary? Never! She'll have her own story before long, never fear._

_Kelley28: Wouldn't it, though? What would Rick say? What would her mother say? Thank you for the note, my other-long-time-fan. You get a hug, too. -hug-. Mary is rude, yes, but only out of self-defense. _

_Koryu Reppa: If you have a problem with one of my reviewers, I would thank you not to fuss about it to me. Even so, I'm curious as to the problem. Your review was deceptive…I was crestfallen to hear that you might not return. Yes, Karen is resisting the move. Why? She's a slightly spoiled fourteen-year-old. Her hormones are going nuts. Her friendship with Rick was just one of those meant-to-be relationships…if you've read Season of Love, you know how events play out. No, Rick is not jealous of Gray…how'd you come to that conclusion? I would like it if you'd return to read, but whatever. Thank you for the message, though. _

_Like red on a rose: Congratulations! You get full credit for how the skirt problem was solved. I had a solution…but yours was too funny to pass up. Thank you so much. Why aren't you writing this story?_

_Awesome Rapidash: Oh, you would like to see Karen in the nude, wouldn't you? Thanks for the encouragement. I hope that my story has made you a permanent Karen fan. You get a hug, too. -hug-_

_Grape Flavored Beans: Really? This is your favorite? Thanks! I can understand why I've gotten so many people saying that I must not like Mary very much--she's had terrible press in my stories. But like I said to Kelley28, she's rude out of self defense. In this story, she's quite in love with our boy Gray and is very afraid that Karen will win him with her beauty. Mary isn't the prettiest maid in the town, so she relies on sarcasm and intelligence to keep her man. Ultimately this drives him away, but she won't know that until he's gone. Poor Mary. She's actually my favorite personality in the village. You'll see that when her MTM story comes out--Fictional Truth is the name._

CHAPTER FIVE: Birthday Bottle

After deep deliberation, I declined the idea of going into the church in my birthday suit. But that didn't stop me from giving Gray, Tim and Rick a good scare by pulling off my sweater and my first shirt and pretending to start shedding my jeans. When they noticed what I was doing, Gray's face turned white, Tim's eyes opened wide like an owl's and Rick buried his face in his hands. The girls were most interested in seeing how far I would go, but as soon as I had exposed my camisole, I ran off towards the Supermarket. Too bad for all of the islanders; there would be no peep shows today.

As I walked back home, I worried about what I was going to do now. Even my mom couldn't possibly sew a skirt in a few minutes! Maybe I could convert a pair of slacks or shorts into a skirt…That would be relatively easy. There we go! Fabulous. I ran the rest of the way and ignored my parents' calls of questioning as I dashed up the stairs to my room.

I unearthed three pairs of shorts in my dresser drawers. One was green and two were blue jean. I snatched a blue jean pair and took it over to my bed. After locating a pair of scissors, I began cutting.

My mom didn't like letting me use her sewing machine because of the time I made it overheat and messed up a wedding dress she was making for a friend. But after I plead pitifully, she relented. I quickly stitched my shorts into a skirt…but suddenly decided that I wasn't letting this go without a fight. The scissors were once again applied to the shorts until it was trimmed to a shameful length that only reached to the top of my thigh. I then sewed it again, took it to my room and slipped it on, snickering at my ruination of Mr. Paine's rule. Oh, now I couldn't wait to go back to school.

After making sure that my parents hadn't seen, I sprinted to the Church and stopped to catch my breath beside the door. After shedding my coat and smoothing my hair, I held my head high and slowly walked down the aisle, reveling in the shocked faces of the kids--especially in the boys' department. Mr. Paine didn't realize that I had arrived until I was standing right behind him. He finally turned around and found me. "Miss Courrege! Delighted to see you!" He said, looking at my face. Then he looked down. "…What is that?"

"It's a skirt, sir."

"I've never seen a skirt like that. You've failed to find appropriate clothing _again._"

"No, sir, you're the one who failed to specify how long the skirt was supposed to be. I merely followed orders."

His eyes smiled long before the rest of his face. "And if I asked you to leave again…?"

I swallowed bravely. "Then I wouldn't know why, sir. It's still a skirt, sir."

"So it is," The thin man chuckled. "So it is. Congratulations, Miss Courrege, for toeing the line further than I thought possible. Your seat is to the right, next to Miss Faune. You may take it."

I looked around at the grinning children until I found the only empty seat--right next to a simmering Mary. She stared straight ahead as I plunked myself next to her. _Happy first day of school, _I thought to myself. _It looks like it's shaping up to be an exciting year. _Maybe very short skirts would become a fashion. Maybe everybody would start wearing them. I was certainly going to wear them until spring.

That decision was short-lived, because my Mom had a cow when I got home that afternoon after school. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Take that piece of loincloth OFF right NOW!" She bellowed, eyes bugging out. I began to answer but quickly quelled myself, reminiscing that arguing with my Mom never changed a thing. She would win because she held the whip, in a manner of speaking. Instead, I did not speak to her and passed her silently on my way upstairs. My jeans were really a relief after the uncomfortable skirt that I wore all day--it rode up like crazy. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to deal with that all year.

Mom was still steaming when I whirled into the Store. She was now fussing at Dad for not stopping me from going to school in my 'despicable flap of material'. When she saw me, she stomped over. "Young lady, you are not allowed to leave this house dressed like that another time. I will make you dresses or skirts or anything you need, but no more jean skirts! Understood?" I nodded angelically and watched as she, pacified, huffed off towards her fabric bag.

My Mom can sew like nobody's business when she wants to. Hopefully she would have something ready by tomorrow morning. The sewing machine whined all that afternoon while I was studying and long into the night. The next morning I was presented with a new dress of purple and white, just like my school colors. It didn't come free, though. The price I paid was one cranky mom. See, my mother doesn't do well after missing a night of sleep. For the next two days she walked about in a daze; forgetting things and not noticing if you spoke to her. Then, after a day of sleeping like the dead, she came out fresh as clean laundry. Of course, the purple and white dress wasn't the only one I wore--Dad picked out fabric for two more schoolroom frocks and one special occasion dress. I never saw anyone that could match colors as well as he could…be it clothes material or interior design. The colors he decided on for my special occasion dress were (who would have thought) lemon yellow and grass green with orange trim. Good old Dad.

When you put aside the fact that we were studying in an old church with second hand books, school wasn't al that horrible. While lecturing on a subject, Mr. Pierce would turn around to us and break into some silly song about dependant clauses, mathematical formulas or scientific facts. "Adenine oooonly loooves the sweet Thymine…Guanine piiiines for it's maaaate…Cytosine, my love…" He'd bellow, raising his arms dramatically. I began to enjoy sitting across the aisle from Rick, swapping notes when Mr. Pierce's back was turned.

You'd better make sure that he didn't see you, though, or you wouldn't forget the experience very easily. One day Gray tossed a note to Mary, but missed and hit Ann, who shrieked. The teacher turned around, grinning sweetly. He picked up the note and looked around at the class. "Let's read this aloud. 'Oh, Mary, my heart burns for you with heat that cannot be quelled. Your hair is so soft, your eyes so limpid…may a sweet kiss claim our lips at 4:30 today.' How touching, Master Elliot. But I'm afraid that you and Miss Faune must wait until after school to do anything too serious." He then tore up the note and returned to his board.

Obviously that was not what Gray had written--he probably didn't even know what the word 'limpid' meant anyway. Despite this, the entire school wasted no time in teasing them within an inch of their lives. Even Tim-the-Serious-Student commented on 'the kissing hour'. It was hard to discern who was blushing harder, the one who wrote the note or the one the note was intended for.

While not studying, I was usually either hanging out with Rick and Popuri or getting ready for the Supermarket's opening. I was so thankful when the Grand Opening morning dawned. At first, I had wondered why the shop was so looked forward to by the townsfolk, but after spending a season of ordering through the mail for small things like potato chips and tape, it made more sense to me. At the Grand Opening I was assigned the glorious job of janitor. Right away Dad started a bad habit of letting people use tabs. Duke and Manna were especially bad about this. They bought nearly a thousand G's worth of stuff--all on credit! Mom accepted the duty of debt-collector with glee. Maybe she enjoyed the idea of collecting other people's money.

Winter passed swiftly, bringing many joyful days of sledding down Mother's Hill after school and drinking steaming hot tea with the Simonses. But on the nineteenth, I received a strange note.

_Dear Karen,_

_My dear Mama is making me invite you to my birthday party on the twentieth at six o'clock sharp. Please try to be on time if your rather diminutive brain can remember. I don't expect a present from you as I fear it will contain something utterly disturbing. Don't bother responding to this note. The dress will be formal._

_Mary_

A party! Even if it did belong to my arch-nemesis. I loved a good party…but what could I take? Mary had requested that I not bring a present, but that simply wouldn't do. An idea hit me…

"You brought a what?!?" Mary growled when I stepped into her house the next night.

"A karaoke machine," I explained lightly. "to sing with." The other kids crowded around me and talked energetically about what songs they were going to perform. Needless to say, the newly-teenaged hostess's plans for Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey and Blindman's Bluff were cut short by suggestions that we hurry and open presents so we could sing. Mary scowled but complied, pulling the packages to her side. The guests sat in a circle, Ann, Joanna, Aja, Harris, Tim, Gray, Rick, Popuri and I. Elli was absent because her mother was ill. The first present opened by the black-braided bookworm was a feathered hair ornament, courtesy of Rick and Popuri. Aja and Joanna shared a present of a bundle of homegrown teas, Tim's gift was a book on good health, Ann gave her a pretty ink pen, Harris's present was a book about hairstyles throughout the centuries and Gray blushed as Mary opened his gift of a homemade bookmark with doodles drawn all over it. When my package was opened, the recipient's eyes narrowed sarcastically.

"Oh look," She announced. "Karen has given me an empty soda bottle. How kind."

"No! It's a Spin-the-Bottle Bottle. It's a game," I explained. "Haven't you ever played Spin-the-Bottle?" The group shook their heads blankly. These villagers were so deprived. "Really? Well, the point of the game is that everyone sits in a circle while one person spins the Bottle. Whomever the Bottle points to, the spinner has to kiss that person. No fair girls kissing girls or the like. Who wants to try it?" The opposite genders looked at each other with tinged faces. One by one, they raised their hands with excitement.

The Bottle was handed to a dubious Mary first. She spun it quickly and gasped as it landed on Rick, who blanched but dutifully kissed her as the rules indicated. Gray's face darkened significantly, I noticed. Rick took the Bottle and spun it. It stopped--pointing at Joanna. His eyes brightened instantly and he scrambled to his feet. I felt a weird jump in my stomach as they kissed lightly. The feeling remained as Joanna spun Tim and Tim spun Ann. He looked surprisingly thrilled when he fulfilled the spin's purpose. Ann spun Gray and kissed him with a smack. Gray spun the Bottle and landed on me. His face did not change when the kiss landed, instantaneous and embarrassed, but sweet nonetheless. I relished in Mary's furious glare as I gave the Bottle a twirl.

My stomach danced a stumbling beat when it pointed squarely to Rick. We avoided each other's gaze as we neared each other. Unlike Gray's, Rick's kiss lingered for a meaningful but confusing moment before being retracted almost regretfully. We sat back down, but the kiss remained in my senses, not as an exclamation or a statement…but as a question. Since he had already spun once, Rick tossed the Bottle to Aja, who kept spinning the girls. Finally she threw it down and tackled Harris, who seemed not upset by her enthusiasm. The only member of the group who had not spun now was Popuri.

"Someone hand me the Bottle. I wanna kiss someone too!" She yelled. The boys instantly studied the air around their heads, trying to appear invisible. It was no secret that Rick's little sister was overbearing at times. When no one volunteered or surrendered the Bottle, she frowned ferociously. "How about we break out the karaoke now?" Tim piped in.

"No! Why do I always have to go last or get skipped? It's not fair!" Pop's face was turning pink like her hair.

Ann giggled. "Because you are the youngest. You'll be last at everything."

"She'll probably marry last, too." Joanna remarked.

"If she marries at all. I wouldn't marry her." Rick said heartlessly. Upon hearing this attack from all sides, Popuri flew into a small tantrum, producing tears by the cupful.

"I w-will too g-get m-married! I'll g-get married b-before you do, A-Ann!" She wailed, standing up. "Everyone in the wh-whole world is a t-teenager except for m-me! I w-wanna die! I'm t-telling M-Mommy!" Her rant finished, she sprinted out of the house. Rick palmed his forehead.

"Oh, for heaven's sake…!" He snapped, gathering up his escaped sister's coat and chasing after her. It was wordlessly decided that the party was over with the two gone. The rest of us helped clean up the mess and eat the remainder of the refreshments. Mary's face was flushed prettily as she put the Bottle carefully back in the bag.

"Who had fun tonight?" She asked the others. They all grinned and murmured their agreements.

Ann was grinning widely. "I want to come to your party next year. I wish that we had had time to karaoke, though."

"This was crazy fun," Aja chuckled, biting into a cookie. "Thanks, Mary. How about we make teasing Popuri a yearly tradition?"

Even Joanna had something nice to say. "Oh, May," She sighed, using her pet name for Mary. "You entered teen-hood with a flash." The boys said little, but exchanged many meaningful glances with one another. Tim offered to walk Ann home, Joanna and Gray left together and Aja linked arms with Harris before stepping out the door. I collected my coat and purse and began to leave, but was stopped by Mary.

"Thanks," She whispered, embarrassed. "Thanks for making my party fun. No one enjoyed my others…I think the Bottle did the trick."

I nodded and made a relieved face. "Anytime. I had a blast. Truce?"

"Truce." We shook hands solemnly.

The walk home was cold and windy, but I was warm inside. Maybe Mary wasn't' such a bad kid after all…she just needed to bring her nose down a bit. School would be twice as fun now that I shared my desk with a buddy--and a buddy who had all of the right test scores, too. But now it was only two more seasons to go until I returned to my home-sweet-home in the city. Two seasons.

That night I dreamed of glassy seas, a head of bright blonde hair and a pair of familiar eyes that asked a question.

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Thanks for reading. I'll try to hustle an update!


	6. Binoculars and a Bonfire

_Hello, dears! I stayed up extra-late to finish you this chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Do I sense a bit of RicKaren? Or Ajarris? Maybe so…maybe so. Yummy._

CHAPTER SIX: Binoculars and Bonfires

One thing that my parents liked about Mineral Town was that it was chock-full of romantic festivals. In the Autumn, the adult couples gathered on Mother's Hill to watch the moon. In Winter, they had their own form of Valentine's Day…to supplement the _second _Valentine's Day in Spring. Rick told me that couples are supposed to watch fireworks at the beach in Summer. I asked him what the kids did during those festivals and he replied that they normally had their own little festivals away from the adults who don't have any fun anyway.

"One time I sneaked up Mother's Hill to see what the parents were talking about…you wouldn't believe what Manna and Duke were doing! Man, I never spied on another festival. My mom has never been able to go to one of those festivals…except when Zack takes her to the Fireworks. Maybe he feels sorry for her." He told me, balancing a fishing pole between his legs and gesturing with his arms. We were fishing at the Lake that day, ignoring the cold of the early Spring.

I never knew that I would be so sad to see school stop for a while. Mr. Pierce left us tearfully on the last day of Winter, instructing us to study our formulas while he was gone. I felt a little let down the next day when all of the snow had melted and the birds were just beginning to sing. It was just too enjoyable sitting beside Mary and whispering about Gray and the new boy that had come to town. Mary had decided that my perfect match was going to be said new boy, whose name was Jonathan. He was sixteen and pretty cute. His parents were very strict and were staying at the Inn temporarily while their house was being built in a neighboring city. The black-haired girl wouldn't shut up about how 'cute' we were supposed to look together.

He hadn't accompanied Rick and I to the lake today, even though he had become a good friend of mine. Rick liked him a lot, too and the three of us were an amusing group. Popuri was infatuated with him, which was funny because Jonathan was scared of her. He wasn't scared of many things, but girls were one of his fears. I asked him why he wasn't nervous around me and he just shrugged and said that he didn't know. He was sweet, but not as perceptive as Rick. His hair was black like Tim's and he wore a black shirt with khaki cargo pants.

Jonathan had come to Mineral Town a couple of days before school was let out and had sat by himself in the back of the church. Mr. Pierce had made a big deal out of him, half embarrassing him to death. Being a new kid isn't fun--I told Jon about my first day at the Mineral Town school and he just about laughed himself silly. I also told him about my old home, how I didn't have a birthday party this year because we were still moving into the new place, how weird I thought the valley dresses were and how I brought the Bottle to Mary's party. It was easy to talk to him because he listened and gave back his own stories of how many times his parents had moved to escape the Mafia that had it in for them.

He wasn't with us today because he had gotten into trouble with his dad. Rick was staring out over the water of the lake, smiling every so often. "What are you smiling at?" I asked him curiously. He seemed to snap out of his trance and gave his pole a jerk.

"Nothing. I mean…I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not smiling!"

I scowled and attended to my own fishing pole. "Hey, Rick, isn't Second Valentines in a few days? What are the adults doing?"

"They'll have a picnic on the beach. Why?"

"I think that you, Jon and I should sit up on Mother's Hill and film them. We can invite Mary and Gray…I have a video camera. Isn't this the festival where Duke and Manna--"

"Yes, it is," Rick snickered. "that's a great idea. Can I invite Joanna?"

I scowled again, harder. "I guess so. But I heard that she had some boy coming from another town to the festival with her. She is seventeen two weeks from now, after all."

Rick's face fell. "Oh," He was quiet for a minute. "I have some binoculars if we'll need them."

I grinned. "Really? Fabulous; we will want them. Where are they?"

Maybe it was my imagination, but my friend reddened for a moment. "At Yodel Farm." He admitted sheepishly.

An hour later we were sneaking into Barley's barn like little thieves. "Tell me again why we're slinking around the Farm like burglars?" I asked him in a hushed voice.

"Barley said that he didn't want me in his barn."

"Why not? And why are your binoculars on that windowsill in his…Oh!" The window that had the binoculars on it's sill was facing the house. "You're a filthy _peeping tom_, aren't you?!?" I yelled.

He pulled my sleeve to hush me. "No, of course not! I would never watch her…dress or anything. She was washing the cows and her hair was…ah, never mind." I sighed with exasperation. Lately I had felt rather ruffled every time he mentioned Joanna. It was strange--like I didn't want him around her. I didn't like the feeling, but I ignored it and followed his movements with my eyes. The barn that we were in was huge, housing probably twenty-five cows. There was a huge bin of hay under a chute, the bin had a tall back and sides that sloped down so the farmer could reach the fodder with a pitchfork easily. Rick climbed up onto the huge window and retrieved his lost binoculars. "Look! Here they--" He was interrupted by the noise of many feet in front of the barn. Barley had apparently decided that it was time to bring the cows in for the night.

Without saying a word, Rick quickly jumped down from the window and into the giant fodder bin. I took his offered hand and was pulled down into the straw. We worked heatedly until we were at the bottom of the bin, lying apart from one another in excited fear. I had heard rumors that Barley had a nasty temper when provoked. We heard him talking to the cows as he milked them, making very good time with the job. He then came over to the bin and began jabbing the pitchfork into it, forking out hay. That didn't bother me until the pitchfork stabbed the fodder very near my head. I held in a screech and tried to flatten myself out as much as possible. Rick was in a corner and fought through the mounds of straw to grab my hand and pull me right beside of him. After what seemed like hours, the onslaught against the feed stopped and the door of the barn slammed shut heavily.

We lay still for a few more minutes until we were sure that he was gone, then we both burst out of the hay and embraced, suppressing the nervous laughter inside. Too shaken to rid ourselves of the straw clinging to our hair and clothes, we escaped from the barn hand-in-hand, thinking that our own adventures were more exciting than anything in Mary's Reading Tower.

Jonathan laughed out loud when we told him about it the next day. "I bet Rick wishes that it had been his black haired beauty that he was frolicking in the hay with, eh?" It was a blunt, unpleasant, probably truthful statement. Rick thought about it for a moment.

"Joanna's black hair would have been too easy to see among all of the light colored fodder. Karen's the perfect one because her hair is blonde." He said solemnly. I felt a stab of gratitude towards his words. I explained our plan to film the adults on Second Valentine's to Jon and he grinned.

"That's a superb plan. My parents will be there too--It'll be like collecting blackmail evidence. You know, if they ground me a certain video of hot beach action is slipped to their boss? That type of stuff. Just what I need." As much as it was terrible to admit it, I could profit from a good blackmail movie, too. Maybe it would get me back to the city faster. But really, I only had the rest of Spring and Summer before we left, so I wasn't in too big of a hurry. The squad wouldn't begin practicing hard until Autumn.

The night of Second Valentine's was too much fun to be allowed. Our small group was bunched together on top of Mother's Hill, binoculars in everyone's hands except mine. I was filming with the zoom feature. Mary was incredible--her dad had at least twenty different kinds of bird-watching binoculars--and she had brought them all. Present was Rick, Jon, Mary, Gray, Ann, Elli, Tim and I. Each teen was assigned a different couple. If anything good started to happen, they would inform me and I would capture the Hollywood moment on my trusty video camera. Rick was watching Duke and Manna (his specialty), Jon was watching Basil and Anna, Mary was watching my parents, Gray was watching Aja and Harris, Ann was keeping her eye on Lillia and Zach, Elli was observing Tim's parents and Tim was watching Joanna and her boyfriend--a blonde haired surfer dude.

"Nothing here…just holding hands." Mary called out.

Rick sniffed. "Absolutely nothing. Come on--where's the action?"

"They aren't moving." Elli sang out.

It took until nine o'clock for something to actually happen. I won't bother giving you any details--where is your imagination? Rick whistled at me. "Karen! Over here! Bingo!" I swerved to Duke and Manna's plot to capture the gold.

Then Elli raised her hand. "Hurry and film over here! Look at 'em."

"Wait, here's a priceless shot!" Jon quipped.

Mary giggled. "No, you've got to see your parents!" My camera buzzed back and forth while we snickered and enjoyed our own version of the romantic event. I could even lip-read what some of the couples were saying--Aja completely confessed her love for a stricken Harris, who said that he wasn't sure about having Manna as a mother-in-law. I could understand that. Joanna and her boyfriend were talking about hamsters…which was odd. I couldn't begin to tell you what the topic was between Duke and Manna.

The night ended when the first couple began to leave. Us kids scrambled down the hill, giggling and talking about the precious film caught on my camera.

Unfortunately, my parents made me burn the film when I waved it in their faces the next morning. I'm serious, they built a small bonfire outside and made me burn the whole canister. Both of them were red with embarrassment and anger--not a lovely cocktail for the defenseless daughter. The worst part was that the other parents were informed too…boy did we all get in trouble. From that day on, none of us ever filmed the adults at festivals. But it was a lot of fun while it lasted.

A week later, my parents were in a good mood when I came home from Elli's house. They grinned as I walked in the door.

"We got you a surprise, honey! It's in the backyard. You should name it." They said happily. I ran to the back, hoping to see a puppy or something like that. Instead I saw a huge, surly-looking goat eating my mom's pansies. "What is it's name, Karen? Isn't it cute?"

"Oh, my gosh," I said, staring at the creature. "You aren't serious."

"Ohmygosh. I like the name." Dad smiled encouragingly. "Try and milk it. I've heard goat milk is fabulous!"

Somebody kill me now. I was not about to touch that goat's underside.

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_Mmmm…free goat milk to anyone who reviews!_


	7. Many Changes

_Thank you so much for reviewing, dears! I'm excited about the next few chapters._

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CHAPTER SEVEN: Many Changes

I began to feel sad on the last day of Spring. Maybe it was because Jonathan was packing his bags to leave Mineral Town, or maybe it was because I would be leaving in one season to go back to the city. That shouldn't have made me sad though, because I should have been looking forward to going home. Jonathan noticed my eyes beginning to well up and turned to me. "Aw, Karen, it'll be okay. I'm only moving to the next city--I'll see you soon. Didn't you say that you used to live in that city? You can come visit me. There's nothing to get depressed about." When his words failed to quell the tears, he sighed and pulled me into his arms. They were warm and strong; my head was pressed into his shoulder.

"I know. But I'll miss you until then." I hadn't told anyone about my plan to move back to the city yet. I had a feeling that Rick would get upset. Speaking of Rick getting upset, he was eyeing Jon and I's embrace very closely, his eyes frowning upon the action. Things had been different between the two of us ever since the incident in Barley's barn. It was unusual--he had stopped blushing when Joanna spoke to him, he stopped visiting her every Sunday and he had become a little bit stand-offish with Jonathan. My heart was all in a pitter and a patter when I mentally chewed the matter over. Was Rick starting to…_like _me? You know, _like_ with a capital L?

As much as I tried to hide them from myself, there was some definite feelings towards him in my heart. I wondered how a city girl could ever fall for a chicken boy--it just didn't happen. But yet, whenever I looked at him, I…oh, now I was sounding like some retarded romance novel. That wasn't me! I wasn't one of those girls who gossiped about boys in the locker room. But Rick…he was special.

Even so, Rick had reason to be suspicious of Jonathan. In the past season of friendship, I had grown to fully enjoy the black-haired boy's lively presence. He always had something to say to make me laugh, or some beautiful sight to point out. Life was a piece of art in Jonathan's eyes. He helped me to see the colors more brightly. The pain I felt at his leaving was real and sharp. Very sharp. If I had to choose between Jonathan and Rick…I just wouldn't know what to do. I had known Rick longer, it was true. But Jonathan…he was special too.

Jon pushed me back from his arms and bit his lip. "Karen, I've been meaning to ask you something. I know that we haven't known each other _too very _long, but I feel like we really connect. You're the most amazing girl I've ever met in any of the places I've been. Would you ever consider…oh…y'know…going out with me?" I blinked like an idiot.

"What the heck are you talking about?" I asked him breathlessly.

He laughed softly. "That's something I love about you. You're so _real. _There's nothing fake about you, Karen. Even though I'll be in the city, I'd be honored if you'd be my girlfriend."

I considered it quickly. Was I hearing this properly? Was _Jonathan _asking me out? Yes, he was! Wow! What did Rick think? For a second, my eyes flicked over to where he was standing. His face was red and his fists were clenched. Did Jon notice? No, he was looking at me. _I should answer already; I must have been standing here for a long time._ "Yes…I…yes!" I answered, throwing my arms about his neck. He breathed a sigh of relief and kissed my cheek.

He left the next day, after kissing me goodbye. I cried a little bit, I'm not afraid to admit. Rick didn't come down to the dock to say farewell, but Jon understood. My gaze clung to his figure as long as I could before the boat sailed out of my sight. But his leaving gave me even more reason to go home at the end of this season. Now I had a boyfriend to see--and a really hot one at that. Wait until Melissa heard about that!

My goat, Ohmygosh, was doing very well. My Dad finally convinced me to taste her milk…and…it was _freakin' delicious. _I'm dead serious. Every morning since then, I have a glass of goat milk with my breakfast. I think I'm addicted. Ohmygosh was a pretty calm pet as goats go. She would come up to me and nuzzle my arm for a lump of sugar that I kept in my pockets for her. Her fur was a yellow-white, long and scraggly. Rick had laughed when I showed her to him the first time, right after I had named her. "Your parents should have bought you a chicken instead, Karen! They're so much more forgiving in bad weather."

"You know, I do have a shed to put her in. She won't stay outside in storms." I told him.

He was still giggling. "Yes, but still…a goat! That's hilarious. What are they going to get you next, a llama?" I punched his arm with mock annoyance.

"Oh, shut up, Rick!"

I was upset when he didn't come to walk with me to school the next day after Jon's leaving. I had always walked with him ever since school had started. Why hadn't he come this morning? Was it…it couldn't be…was it because of Jon? But that would be so _childish. _Then again, Rick could sometimes be as immature as his sister--and Popuri was a paragon of immaturity. Not that I'd ever tell _her _that.

Rick didn't even greet me when I reached the church by myself. Mary came over and told me that Mr. Pierce had brought an assistant this season to work with Tim on his last year. The assistant was female, a particularly homely woman with sharp angles and searching eyes. Her dress was brown and scratchy looking, over which she wore a wide belt with a long, flat ruler hung on it. That ruler was scary looking--as was it's keeper. Tim seemed none too pleased at the prospect of her as a study partner.

We had different seat arrangements now. I was sitting with Popuri, Rick was beside Elli, Tim was with Gray and Ann shared with Mary. Aja was supposed to sit Joanna, but Joanna wasn't at school that morning. To my guilty pleasure, Rick didn't seem overly concerned with this fact. Ann was obviously driving Mary nuts by chattering about sports--Mary's short curly hair was being twisted around her finger agitatedly.

Maybe Rick wasn't concerned about Joanna that day, but everyone was two days later when she still hadn't showed up for school. Finally the news spread around the town that Joanna had run away. I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. Run away? That just didn't seem like Joanna. Barley hadn't told anyone because he believed that she might return…but when she didn't… The small town talked about nothing but Joanna's whereabouts theories for the next week. Ann said that she thought Joanna would go to some far away college. Tim said that she was probably in trouble that she didn't want her father to know about. Mary said that Joanna had probably met some guy and ran off to travel with him. I thought that she was probably just living in freedom for a little while and would return after she had gotten sick of being alone.

To make things even stranger, Aja suddenly announced one day that she would be leaving for an art school in a big city. Manna and Duke looked sad, angry and resigned when the announcement was made. Even Harris' begging her to stay didn't sway her decision--and believe me he tried to keep her in Mineral Town. She came out of her house one day with her hair cut in this strange modern shag and without her customary bright, happy dress. Instead, she was wearing capris and a tight shirt with a weird logo on the front. She looked like the very worst kind of artist--nothing like the Aja we knew. It was frightening to see her now, like Joanna's disappearance had changed her. Aja swore that she'd keep her eyes out for her best friend while at school.

Amidst all of this turmoil, the time slipped away until it was one week before summer ended. My parents sat me down in the living room and asked me _the question._

"Karen, it's been almost exactly one year since we moved here--that's double the time that we said we'd stay. Now you have to tell us…do you want to move back to the city? If you don't that's fine. But it's also fine if you do decide to go back."

My Dad smiled briefly. "It's your choice, Karen."

Now what should I do? If I went back, I could surprise Jon and get back on the cheerleading squad. It would be so great to see movies every week, go to the mall with my friends, eat junk fast food from Burger King and talk on the phone for hours without worrying about long-distance fees. I wouldn't have to worry about dresses for school, or take care of the shop on Thursdays, or take special care to avoid Popuri when she had PMS (which was often now that she was thirteen).

But if I stayed I could keep Ohmygosh and fulfill the routine of going to the beach when I felt sad. I would be able to see Mary and Ann and even Popuri all the time--I never had to worry about getting someone to drive me to a friend's house. And I could see my best friend Rick whene…oh, wait, he wasn't talking to me. Oh yeah. That was stupid. A hot surge of anger churned my stomach.

If he wanted to ignore me, I could play his game, too.

"I want to move back." I muttered hotly.

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_Karen's life is getting complicated. Will she actually leave? I can tell what you are thinking--if you've read either Raindrops or Season of Love than you know that she's present in those stories, so she must come back because the stories are all related. But I don't say whether or not she comes back as an adult rather than a teenager…you'll have to wait and see! Review, yes!_


	8. A Storm Inside and Out

_It's the next-to-last chapter, guys! This story has been an amazing journey for me as an author. Thank you for reading it, each and every one of you!_

_Like red on a rose: It's okay! Worry no more, all answers shall be answered! I really hope that you aren't too upset with me after this chapter…_

_Poncho D:  Oh, no, This story has nothing to do with BTN. It's a precursor to the stories _Raindrops _and _Season of Love _plus all of the other MTM series stories that will eventually come out. As you should know, all of my HM stories are connected…_

_Moonlit Dreaming: Thank you, Moonie. I hope you like what I've done to poor Karen..._

_Awesome Rapidash: Thank you! Whee! _

_Sarah 303: It's perfectly alright. I'm glad you're reading now! So what happens next?._

_Kountry 101: Thank you so much! I'm going to get all teary…so you'd better read the chapter now…_

CHAPTER EIGHT: A Storm--Inside and Out

After the decision was made, we began to pack up our belongings immediately. The boxes we'd used to move into Mineral Town were still in the attic, so I put on some old clothes and battled through the dust and spider webs to bring them downstairs. My mom was in charge of the kitchen and her bedroom, my dad worked on beginning to clear the Market and I worked on my room. _Soon I'll be sleeping on these sheets in the city. What a relief that will be! _It was a shame that I had missed the summer holiday, but I would be sixteen this autumn! Rick was turning sixteen next week, but I wouldn't be here to celebrate it with him even if he had wanted me to. We were leaving on the twenty-sixth, which was three days from now.

I was already having misgivings about my decision by the next morning. As I pulled a red and gray dress over my head, I felt a pull in my stomach. Maybe I had made the wrong decision. The matter was pinching my mind the entire time I ate my breakfast. Eventually my parents noticed my silence over my oatmeal and orange juice.

"Is anything wrong, Karen? You're unusually quiet this morning." My Dad gazed at me concernedly while sipping his small amount coffee in the cup of creamer.

I piddled with my spoon to buy myself time to piece together my thoughts. "Oh…I just realized I'll miss Mineral Town a little bit when we leave…that's all."

"We don't have to go, you know. We can always unpack."

"No. No, I'm fine, really. It's probably just a bout of PMS. Ignore me." Dad nodded, sipped his coffee and said no more as I ate the last mouthfuls of oatmeal. The air was hot and muggy when I stepped out the door, holding my books tightly. Rick, of course, was not there to greet me. I was shocked, however, to find Elli waiting for me.

"Hello, Karen." She said, smiling. "I noticed that you were coming to school by yourself and I thought I'd walk with you today! Is that all right?" I, taken by surprise, nodded enthusiastically.

"Thank you." I wasn't sure what to say. Elli and I had never really spoken apart from the day when we first met and the few times I visited her at her house. When I glanced at her face, it was glowing with the strange mixture of innocence and understanding that she pulled off so well. I could never look that angelic.

She twirled and turned to me. "You're welcome. Sometimes it's just nice to have a friend to be beside." She lapsed into silence and remained quiet until we reached the church. Overhead, storm clouds were washing over the sky, muting the glare of the sun. Every so often a distant rumble of thunder was to be heard announcing it's presence. I followed behind Elli into the church, standing like a stranger right inside the door. Elli looked over her shoulder at me and frowned slightly. She inclined her head and set her books down on her desk before joining me. "You know, I share my desk with Rick and I see a lot of things that he thinks are secret."

Her words hit me like swallowing an ice cube. "Do you?" I asked her nonchalantly. "Like what?"

"Oh…" She shrugged. "Just things. Drawings, notes, et cetera." She then winked at me and wandered off to chat with Tim. I stared after her, curiosity burning the back of my brain. _What kind of things has she seen and why would she mention them to me?_ I picked at a ruffle on my dress. Mr. Pierce chose that moment to ring the bell for class. I shuffled to the third row and took my seat beside Popuri and across from Elli and Rick. My eyes fought to flick towards Rick, but I closed them tightly.

School was let out early that day because the weather channel put a warning out to our area for a severe thunderstorm. The sky outside was dark as if evening had already descended. Popuri whimpered childishly and I patted her shoulder. Right as Mr. Pierce made his last point on the structure of dialectal sentences, I stood up. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Yes, Miss Courrege?"

"I have an announcement to make if you don't mind."

He bounced on the balls of his feet. "Not at all! Go ahead." He began cleaning the portable whiteboard as I spoke.

All eyes were focused on my person and I cleared my throat. "I thought that everyone should know that I'm moving back to Wyssh city this week." One simple sentence and my fate was sealed.

The room's females gave a collective gasp. "When? Why?" Ann queried.

"The boat comes the day after tomorrow…I'm leaving because…because I just am. But I will miss all of you guys a lot. You've been such good friends to me. Thanks." I made eye contact with them all--excluding Rick, of course. "I'll give you my phone number if you'd like. I'll have cell phone service in the city, so you can call me anytime."

Popuri scowled. "I don't want you to go! You're…you know…one of _us. _Didn't you have a choice?"

I reflected briefly on my answer to my parents' question. "Yes. I did." I whispered. Just then, an enormous clap of thunder resounded. Mr. Pierce said that we should all go home before it began to rain hard, so we filed out of the pews and down the aisle. It was sprinkling outside, but the wind was strong, blowing the drops pell-mell around our faces.

Ann tapped my shoulder and cocked her head. "Would you like to come down to the Inn and spend the night with me one last time? I'm gonna miss you so much…"

"Sure, Ann. I'd love to." I looked towards my house. "But I'll have to run home and ask permission first. I'll meet you there, okay?" She nodded and set off at a jog towards the Inn. I began walking to my house, but didn't get very far before my hand was grabbed.

It was Rick. His face was pale and his eyes were deeply troubled. My face became rather hostile as I turned to him. Over our heads the clouds boiled as if in some kind of Witch's cauldron. "You aren't serious about leaving, are you?" He asked in a strained voice.

"Yeah. Why would you care?"

Annoyance twisted his features. "Because you're my best friend, stupid! Of course I care!"

"Oh, I'm your best friend now, huh? What about the last _three weeks_? What about all the time you've spent ignoring me and saying little spiteful things when you thought I wasn't listening?"

"…Gosh, Karen! I didn't mean anything by it!" Our voices were getting louder. He glanced around at the people watching, took my hand and pulled my down the street, through Rose Square and into Mineral Beach.

I pulled my hand out of his slowly. "You didn't mean anything by it? Well it meant a heck of a lot to me!" The sky erupted above our heads and large, soaking drops of rain fell in thick sheets.

"How could you read anything into it?" His voice raised a notch. His medium-long blonde hair was soaked and plastered to his head and I could only assume that mine looked just as bad.

I raised my voice to match his. "_How? _You _idiot. _How could I _not _take anything by it? One moment you're my best friend in the world and the next--"

"I was always your best friend!" He roared.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TRY ACTING LIKE IT?" I screamed back.

"WELL WHY DID YOU--" His voice cracked with emotion. "Why did you have to go and say yes to that Jonathan…?"

Suddenly it all became clear to me--like when you are searching for a word to express your feelings and the perfect thing to say surfaces all in an instant. Jonathan _was _why Rick had been ignoring me, regardless of how immature the reasoning. I stepped towards him. "So that's the root of this whole matter, huh? You're jealous that I paid more attention to him than to you."

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me." Instead of being loud, our voices were dangerously soft now. Both or our faces were streaked with rain and waterlogged strands of hair.

Rick cocked his head with facetious amusement. "Do you still like that boy?"

"No." My mouth spat out the word before I had time to think about it. "No. It was a passing nothing that I really only said yes to because…why would you ask that?"

He put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me so directly that it made my blood cold. We stood there with the warm thunderstorm rain drenching us from head to toe. I stopped scowling and finally looked him full in the eyes. My mind suddenly awoke a curiosity of what it would feel like if I lost all self-control and gave into my throbbing desire to kiss the boy in front of me. The very thought clenched my heart. I trembled and reached out my hand, lighting it gently on his cheek. He gave a start and slowly relaxed his shoulders. Time stopped for a perfect moment.

The perfect moment passed with the sizzling of a long lightning bolt worming across the sky. My hand dropped and I scampered up the stairs and out of the beach, leaving my best friend standing like a statue in the rain.

Ann had corralled Elli and Mary at the Inn by the time I reached it. She was setting out plates of sweets when I came through the door, wringing out my hair. "What happened to you, girl? You look like you went swimming."

"I-I'm sorry. It was a downpour. May I use your phone?" She nodded and I went over to it and dialed my home phone number. By the time my parents had agreed to the sleepover, Popuri arrived, carrying a pink umbrella.

"It sure is raining hard! I'm sorry that it took so long, I had to wait for my brother. He'd been at the beach! Can you believe that? He was soaked from head to toe!" The girls instantly looked at me--and at the grains of sand sticking to my shoes. Elli met my eyes and we exchanged that peculiar communication known as "Girl ESP". Elli knew where I had been.

I was awoken early the next morning, stretched out on Ann's floor. It was my mom, kneeling beside me and shaking me awake. "Karen, wake up, baby. We have to go."

"Go where?" I mumbled groggily.

She stood up, pulling me to my feet. "The boat couldn't come tomorrow so it's picking us up today. We have to go catch it, sweetie. Your father and I have been packing all night and we're ready to go."

I nodded numbly. So this was it. I was leaving now, never to return. I changed into my day clothes and left the girls sleeping on the floor. They weren't my first priority that morning. I slipped out the front door and flew down the still-wet street. The storm had cleared the sky of all clouds--it was blue and beautiful this morning. My steps brought me to the Poultry Farm. I stood outside the door and scratched my arm. After staring at his door for a minute, I left his yard sadly. What would I have said, anyway?

The boat to take us back to the city was decrepit like the one that brought us here. I looked back at my old home for a long moment, breathing the air one last time. I then ascended the gangplank behind my parents and leaned on the rail. A whistle blew and the boat chugged away contentedly, leaving behind the hick island that I'd learned to love. I watched it shrink and blew a kiss to the boy that I never said goodbye to.

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_I can't be serious! She left! Oh no! What will Rick do?_


	9. Demented Boomerang

_Well…now it's over. All of it. Thanks to all of the people who have read my stories so faithfully! I guarantee you'll either hate or pity Jonathan after Karen finishes with him. What about Rick? What about Ohmygosh? Will she jump overboard? Will she stay? Will she come back? Read on and enjoy the last chapter! Don't forget to read and review _**Threshold **_which should be out in a few weeks. Thank you!_

_Like red on a rose: Well it's all over now. Will you like the ending? Thank you for reviewing so many times. You get a hug! _

_Morgan Lee Faye: Thank you so much for being nice! I'm glad that you like my writing. Read and enjoy this next chapter._

_Poncho D:  She won't be jumping overboard…or will she? Thanks for reviewing the last few chapters._

_Kountry 101: Poor Rick won't feel so poor after this chapter!_

_Moonlit Dreaming: Moonie! This chapter should make you happy if you want Rikaren to continue…_

_Awesome Rapidash: Thank you! You thought that it was the best chapter? Wait until you read the ending. Thanks for being a faithful reader!_

_HMAngel: No! She won't be coming back next summer… _

_Chicken Yuki: I can see where you're coming from. Karen has a lot of maturing to go through, doesn't she? You are such an attention w. Did you know that? I love you, though. Thanks for reading my stories. _

_Kisa chan: Wow! You are amazing, kisa! Thank you so much for reviewing with such sweet comments! Please don't start crying. This chapter will cheer you up, I bet! _

CHAPTER NINE: Demented Boomerang

Five days later I was back on that same old, stinky boat back to Mineral Town. Can you believe it? I am such a weakling. I'm like some kind of demented boomerang--I leave and then return right back where I started. Only this time I wouldn't leave ever again. This time I was here to stay forever. I had done a terrible thing by leaving all of my friends with even saying goodbye. Would they…forgive me?

I had dissolved into tears on my first day of being back in school. The reason for my crying was that none of my old friends were excited to see me. Not even Melissa welcomed me back! She acted like I didn't exist. Jonathan wasn't even pleased to see me like I'd hoped he'd be. Instead he had found a new girlfriend with size-X boobs and platinum blonde hair.

"What are _you _doing here?" He asked rudely when I tapped his shoulder and greeted him.

I scowled, hurt. "What do you mean? I used to live here."

"Oh."

"Who's the blonde bombshell?"

Jonathan ran his arm around the girl's waist. "Her name is Angelique. Guess what she is."

"A playboy bunny?"

"No." He replied coldly. "She's my girlfriend."

I sputtered into derisive laughter. "_That's _your _girlfriend_? Ha! That's hilarious!" Angelique's face was turning pink with indignation at my obvious enjoyment of the idea. "Angelique, honey," I wiped tears of mirth from my eyes. "dump him now. I guess he didn't tell you that he never broke up with me before dating you, huh? That makes me wonder how many _other _girlfriends he has. I can answer that! He has sixteen girlfriends! I…uh…found them on my way through some of the major cities." I was lying so hard that it was turning the air around my person blue.

She narrowed her blue eyes and stepped away from the angry and disbelieving Jonathan. "That, like, can't be true. He gave me, like, this bracelet." She extended her arm from which a copper chain dangled.

"Did he now? You only got copper jewelry? Wow…my bracelet is silver. His eighth girlfriend, Meredith, actually received a gold bracelet--with earrings to match. You must be low on his list…or he's just getting cheap. Either one." More lies. I smiled one last time and walked calmly past the couple to my class. Thirty seconds later, Jon learned that having a copper chain shoved in your teeth hurts.

Another thing I missed from Mineral Town was my goat, Ohmygosh. On the first morning of our new city life, I came downstairs to pancakes on the table and, as always, a glass of milk. I took one sip and then spat it back into the glass. "Yuck. Where did you get this milk? It's terrible."

Mom glanced at the carton. "It's fine, Karen. I just had some myself."

"Oh, I see. You gave me cow's milk. Do we have any goat milk?"

"No, I'm sorry. None of the stores around here carry it." No goat milk? This city deal was looking worse and worse by the day. What respectable city didn't carry goat milk? I wanted Ohmygosh back right then.

Then that evening, out of habit, I put my hand on the front doorknob and almost yelled to my parents that I was going to the beach. I stopped myself when I realized that the nearest beach was probably the one in Mineral Town. I couldn't even watch the waves to soothe myself! The city sucked!

I stomped upstairs and melted on my bed, sniffling in self-pity. I opened my diary and flicked through the pages. Glued on the day of Winter the third was a small picture of Rick with his favorite chicken in his arms. He was smiling. I slammed the book, closed my eyes and screamed as hard as I could. My parents came sprinting up the stairs and into my room, demanding to know if I was bleeding, stabbed, burned, etc.

"TAKE ME BACK TO DANG MINERAL TOWN, DANGIT!" I hollered. To my surprise, my parents embraced and exchanged high fives.

My mom giggled like a little girl. "We've been waiting for you to say that! You can't imagine how much I miss Lillia and Anna."

"You can't imagine how much I miss the business and money we made there!" That was my dad the businessman 'til death.

It wasn't hard to pack out things for the third time. We'd barely unpacked them in the two days we'd been living in the apartment. When mom called the steam ferry again, they were exasperated that we'd want to make a return journey after two days. They couldn't spare time to pick us up until three days in the future, so I was compelled to attend school twice more. When the day arrived and the noisy boat finally backed into the city's harbor, I ran aboard eagerly, welcoming the sight of the peeling paint, the water stained benches and the rusty rails. The only other passenger on the boat was a girl of about eleven or twelve with light brown hair, clutching a worn satchel. Her face was dull and looked like it was no stranger to tears. I wish now that I had talked to her, but I was far too preoccupied with visions of my friends' faces to bother.

The island of Mineral Town grew larger and larger until I longed to jump over the rails of that smelly ferry and swim to the beach. When it pulled against the dock and came to a halt, I cheered and snatched up my luggage. The corpulent captain shooed us off the deck irritably and shoved off as soon as the last bag was on the beach.

I sprinted through the streets until I reached the Super Market. My home. Our spare bag was still under the mat, so Mom dug it out and we filed in. After rudely dumping my suitcases on the floor, I escaped out the door and jumped around for a few minutes. Then I proceeded to journey towards the Inn. Elli intercepted me in front of the Clinic.

"KAREN!" She yelled, tackling me. I fell over and gulped a mouthful of dirt. She released me happily and danced to tell Tim of my return. At the entrance of Rose Square, Ann spotted me while chasing a bug.

"KAREN!" She yelled, tackling me. I fell over again and received a second mouthful of dirt. After exchanging general 'hellos' and 'how do you do's, I continued through Rose Square and to Barley's farm. I had left Ohmygosh in his care when I moved away, but now I boldly marched into his kitchen and demanded the return of my beloved milk-giver. He cheerfully agreed and said that she was 'the worst demon of an animal I've ever seen". Then, goat leash in hand, I entered the Poultry Farm, where Popuri was playing with colored pencils.

"KAREN!" She yelled, tackling me. I fell over yet again and received my third mouthful of dirt.

"Popuri, get off of me!" I forced out. She grinned obligingly and let me go. "Where's Rick? I need to speak with him."

"He's at the Goddess Spring. Would you like to draw with me?" I declined and skipped on my way. Unfortunately, Gray was leaning on the wall of the Blacksmithy. "KAREN!" He yelled, tackling me. I screeched and dodged him. He was the recipient of the mouthful of dirt that time. "Great to see you!" He choked out, pulling grass off of his tongue. Then, embarrassed, he retreated inside the Blacksmithy and I continued on my path, still spitting gravel from Popuri's yard.

Farmer Aberle made a big deal out of my inquiry about Rick's whereabouts. He guffawed and remarked about 'city gals' and 'love affairs' until I was ready to kick him. Even with the jabs, I was permitted to cross through his farm to the forest. The cows were enjoying the Autumn sunshine when I passed them. The old man's farm was beautiful…I longed to meander around it and climb the old apple tree. Then a cluck from one of the many chickens reminded me of my task. I crossed the bridge into the forest and tiptoed up the entrance to the Hot Springs and the Goddess Pond.

There he was, sitting with a book in his hands, reading. I smoothed down my shirt and stepped into view. He looked up, stared for a moment and then dropped the unlucky novel into the pond out of surprise. "You came back." He stood up and smiled hesitantly.

I walked over and kicked a dandelion. "Yeah. I guess I did."

"Are you back…to stay? You know, forever?"

"Maybe." A smile tugged my face.

He jumped into the air and war whooped. He then picked me up and twirled me around the Springs. I clung to his neck, grinning like a fool. When I was released, he grabbed both of my hands. "Does that mean I'm forgiven?" He peered into my eyes anxiously.

I tapped his nose with my finger. "Only if you forgive _me _for leaving in the first place…and if I'm allowed to do one thing…"

"Sure! You name it!"

I put my hands on his shoulders and brought my face barely an inch form his. I felt his nervousness tense his shoulders and hasten his breathing. Right when his eyes closed and he began pulling my face even closer, I pushed him hard--right into the Goddess Pond. He came up spluttering and gasping for air. "What was that?" He whined.

I feigned surprise. "What? Did you think that I wanted to…kiss you or something like that?"

"Of-of course not."

"Liar." I kicked off my shoes and jumped into the water with him. It was warm and clear. He held out his hands and I accepted them. That's where I kissed my Rick…the first time, at least.

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_So. Whatcha think? It's over. All over. Thank you so much for reading. I'll be posting _Threshold _in the next few weeks. Make sure you read it and review!_


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